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Thousand Oaks gets ready for major underground utilities project

Ventura County Star
Published 2:47 p.m. PT Feb. 8, 2016

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Utility poles in a stretch of Thousand Oaks Boulevard will go underground when the city begins a $15 million project in early March.

A row of electrical poles along 1½ miles of Thousand Oaks Boulevard will go underground when the city begins work on a $15 million project next month.

The underground utilities project, expected to be completed by spring 2017, will include lane closures on the boulevard from Duesenberg Drive to Via Merida in Thousand Oaks.

In recent weeks, city staff members have been meeting with local businesses, homeowner associations and the Chamber of Commerce in addition to going door-to-door to discuss the project. The city will also host an informational meeting at City Hall on Feb. 16.

"There's going to be a very visible impact," said Nader Heydari, the city's division manager of capital projects. "That's why we're doing the outreach."

The work, expected to begin in early March, will include lane closures in both directions of traffic, although not at the same time. In some cases, both lanes on one side of the street will be closed and motorists will be forced to use the lane typically reserved for street parking.

"There will always be a through lane," Heydari said.

The work of transferring 48 electrical and communication lines underground will be done in phases, starting on the east end near Duesenberg Drive and ending near Westlake High School.

"Westlake High School probably won't have any impact for a few months," Heydari said.

More details of construction impacts are expected in coming weeks and throughout the duration of the project. While the entire project is expected to be finished by spring of 2017, the bulk of trenching and street work is scheduled to be complete by the end of October.

This is the last major project to be funded by the former redevelopment agency. About two-thirds of the project's cost comes from redevelopment with the rest coming from the city's general fund.

On Tuesday, the City Council will consider the construction contract, utilities agreements and overall budget for this project. The council will also consider authorizing an additional $642,000 beyond what was initially approved.

The city has spent more than a year researching and mapping out the underground utilities system in preparation for construction. When the project went out to bid, the city required that only contractors who have successfully completed a similar underground project be qualified to bid.

Last year, the city completed a street widening project on Erbes Road that also moved utilities underground. The project took longer and cost more than expected because the city did not have an accurate map of the infrastructure underground.

Erbes Road, a 1920s street, is much older than Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

This stretch of Thousand Oaks Boulevard is unique in that it's a heavily traveled roadway characterized by high-end retail and high voltage transmission lines overhead. Bringing those wires underground will not only make it aesthetically pleasing, according to the city, but it'll be safer in the event of earthquakes and strong winds.

Most utility boxes, switches and transformers will also go underground. A few that can't will be placed above ground behind the sidewalk.

Read or Share this story: https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/conejo-valley/2016/02/08/thousand-oaks-gets-ready-for-major-underground-utilities-project/88684796/